I’m afraid… I’ve gone soft.

Seven days off the trail. Whew. That’s quite a few. Not only did I post very little, so all of my readers were getting antsy, but I also hiked very little. Sure, we did a few hikes, but not enough to keep my body in hiker condition. Today felt like starting back at Amicalola.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have no regrets about taking my hiatus. It was one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life. And if you are thinking: “Firewalker, what did you do all week if you weren’t hiking?” the answer is mostly just enjoy the people who came to see me, and of course enjoy the hot tub, jacuzzi tub, pool table, and food.

The cabin we rented actually belonged to a cousin. Steven and Sue were gracious enough to invite us over to their equally awesome house. We enjoyed conversation over pizza and pie. Talk about great hosts! Their children, Landon and Sophie, were also good hosts, who showed us around and taught me how to play Skylanders. Much thanks to all of them for such a great vacation!

They also have a whitewater rafting company in the area. I’ll have to do that next time!

Here is a link to the cabin–

And here is a link to the rafting, Steven and Sue have a little story about how they started.

The cabin was so much fun, and I would gladly go back.

Getting back on the trail this afternoon, I only did a few miles to the first campsite before I set up camp, but it turned out alright, as I met with Wildflower Willie, and Dustin, whom I had met earlier on the trail. We had a campfire, and morale was high in no time.

It’s good to be back on the trail.

There was a tower a little ways in. It was cool to see Fontana Dam from a distance again after hiking right past it.